How To Draw A Half Moon Step By Step 

Here are easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for how to draw a half moon.

Learning to draw a moon is easy when you break it down into a few simple shapes. 

And for this moon sketch, we will be drawing a waning crescent moon. This is one of the different phases of the moon.

A waning crescent is the half moon shape, and the moon’s face is facing to the right. A waxing crescent is the same shape, but the moon is facing to the left. 

Here’s a fun fact about the moon and astrology. When people ask, “what’s your sign” they are asking which zodiac symbol the sun was in during the time and location you were born.

Another essential part of astrology is identifying what your moon sign is. Your moon sign is based on which zodiac the moon was in, in the location and time you were born.

Your moon sign represents a deeper, more emotional, soulful part of you. So, in addition to your zodiac sign, it’s good to know your moon zodiac sign.

Here’s more drawing tutorials you might like- how to draw a simple mushroom, a spaceship, and a lightning bolt.

Materials For How to Draw A Half Moon

• Pencil
• Paper
• Eraser
• Pencil sharpener

Optional Materials

• Colored pencils
• Markers
• Crayons

Step-By-Step Guide For How To Draw A Half Moon

Step 1. Draw A Full Moon Outline

The first step is to simply draw a circle. Of course, you don’t need a perfect circle, but if you want to make it completely circular, you can use a small glass to trace around.

Step 2. Create The Crescent Moon Shape

Since we aren’t drawing a full moon, we need to turn it into a crescent moon shape.

To do this, you’ll draw a second circle that overlaps the first one. To help with positioning, we’ve provided a straight grey line to help you see better where the position of the 2nd circle is.

The second circle is drawn higher than the first circle and connects at the top of the first circle, right in the middle. 

Step 3. Clean Up The Pencil Lines

Next, erase the pencil lines from the second circle you drew in the previous step.

You can see how the overlapping circles gave us such a nice moon shape and an excellent sharp point at each end.

Step 4.  Add the Final Details To Your Moon Sketch

Now for the final touches, add the craters to the moon. These can be circular, oval, or irregular-shaped ovals placed on the side of the moon.

Next, add the eye. Draw an oval and place it near the inside edge.

Add a small circle for the pupil, and if you’d like, to make it a cartoon moon, add a white dot in the center of the pupil.

You can draw a whole moon face by adding a nose and mouth. 

If you’d like to color in the moon, think about what background color you’d like to use.

You can make it a dark background to match the night sky or leave it as a white background.

For the moon itself, you can color it white, off-white or yellow. Or choose your favorite colors. 

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